Method of forming female socket for electrical coupling



June 1967 H. R. HAMEL 3,328,504

METHOD OF FORMING FEMALE SOCKET FOR ELECTRICAL COUPLING Original Filed March 5, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. A neazq {44:27 #4445 BY M w, w

/r/mz 247645 June 27, 1967 H. R. HAMEL 3,328,504

METHOD OF FORMING FEMALE SOCKET FOR ELECTRICAL COUPLING Original Filed March 5, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,328,504 METHOD OF FORMING FEMALE SOCKET FOR ELECTRICAL COUPLHVG Harold Robert Hamel, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif., assignor to Pacific Electricord Company, Gardena, Calif., a corporation of California Original application Mar. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 177,302, now Patent No. 3,183,474, dated May 11, 1965. Divided and flak application Oct. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 402,528

Claims. (Cl. 264272) This application is a division of my application Ser. No. 177,302, filed Mar. 5, 1962, now entitled, Female Socket for Electrical Coupling.

The present invention relates generally to electrical couplings of the plug and socket type such as used to interconnect electrical cables, and more particularly to the method of forming the female socket members of such couplings.

The method of this invention finds one application in forming sockets of twist-lock type couplings in which the plug and socket are given relative rotative movement after assembly to lock the plug and socket together against involuntary removal. It provides for individual temporary mechanical support of the electrical components of the socket in the die cavity during the molding of the enclosing body of the socket, without permanent assembly or interconnection of the elements of such components. This invention further provides for the molding of undercuts in the body of the socket while enabling the core members, which provide passages in the body of the socket and establish such undercuts, to be readily removed from the molded socket body.

An object of this invention is an improved method of molding an insulating body about the electrical components of the female socket member of an electrical coupling which provides desirable economies in manufacture and simplicity of assembly and mounting of such components securely within the socket body.

Another object of this invention is an improved method of molding the body of a female socket member of an electrical coupling in which the electrical components of the socket are temporarily mounted on the sectional core blades and supported solely thereby within a mold defining the exterior of the socket and which removes the sections of the core blades from the socket body by straight-line or successive rotary and straight-line movements to provide undercut passages within the socket.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification and the appended drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a multi-part or seetional core used in the method of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, with parts cut away, showing the electrical components of the socket supported on core blades within a mold cavity;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the socket after the first, straight-line removal of the first sections of the core blades from the molded socket;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

' FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal sectional view, similar to FIGURE 3, but with the second sections of the core blades removed from the body of the socket to show the completed socket;

. FIGURE 6 is a transverse sectional view, similar to FIGURE 4, and also showing the second sections of the core blades removed from the socket;

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view of the front face of the socket; and

FIGURE 8 .is a perspective view of one form of male ice plug usable with the socket formed by the method of this invention.

Referring to the appended drawings, a completed socket or female portion of a coupling is shown in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, being designated generally at 11, and includes a generally cylindrical body portion 12 of molded insulating material having a flat front face 13 and a rear knob portion 14. The socket 11 may be mounted on the end of a cable 15, shown as a molded flexible tubing enclosing three flexible conductors 17, 18 and 19. The insulating body 12 of the socket 11 is molded directly about the outer tubing of cable 15 and the conductors 17, 18 and 19 when the socket is formed.

Three arcuate passageways 21, 22 and 23 are provided leading from the front face 13 of the body 12 into the interior thereof. Straddling each of the passageways 21, 22 and 23, and opening forwardly, are the opposed legs 24 and 25 of three conducting socket connectors or components 26, 27 and 28. The legs 24 are spaced from the legs 25 through the major portion of their length by their offset portions 29 which are rigidly secured to the legs 25 by means of rivets 31. The rear ends of the legs 25 are bent radially outwardly at 32 and are provided with holes therethr-ough through which extend the ends of the conductors 17, 18 and 19. The ends 32 of the legs 25 and of the conductors 17, 1-8 and 19 are then preferably electrically connected together as individual, electrically insulating terminals by means of soldering, brazing, welding or mechanical pressure, as at 33, to form good electrical connections.

The passageways 21, 22 and 23 are provided with rear, undercut, arcuate extensions 34, 35 and 36 to accommodate portions on the blades of male plugs when the plug and socket are given relative rotary movement after assembly. The passages 21, 22 and 23 are located at different radii with respect to the center of the socket 13, thereby to assist in the polarization of the coupling whereby the plug and socket members may be assembled with only a definite blade on the plug cooperating with an indexed definite jaw in the socket. A radially extending passage 37 communicates with the passageway 21 adjacent one edge thereof to receive a prong locking element where provided on the corresponding blade of the male plug. The leg 24 of the socket jaw 26 is provided with a transverse groove 38 formed therein which communicates with the passage 37 and which receives such locking prong on the blade of the male plug when the plug and socket are given relative rotary movement after assembly.

The sectional core and jaw support 40 used in the molding method of this invention is shown in FIGURE 1, and supporting the socket jaws in place in a die in FIG- URE 2. The core 40 comprises a head 41 having a front face 42 against which the front face 13 of the socket 11 is molded. Supported in and extending from the front face 42 of the head 41 are sectional core blades 43, 44 and 45. The core blade 43 is made up of a pair of sections 46 and 47 meeting in a scarf joint at 48. Each of the core blades 44 and 45 includes sectional portions 51 and 52 with scarf joints at 53. The core blade sections 46 and 51 extend axially only from the core head 41 and are preferably retained therein by means of set screws 54. The core blade sections 47 and 52 are provided with circumferentially ofiiset portions 55 and are preferably freely axially-slidably separable from the core head 41. The section 46 is provided with a radially extending enlargement 56 which forms the passage 37 in the body 12 of the socket, and the section 47 is provided with a small radial extension at 57 which is received within the groove 38 in the leg 24 of the jaw 26.

The die sections and the conducting components of the socket member are shown together in FIGURE 2 prior to the injection of the plastic molding material for the body of the socket. The core 40 has its head 41 received within a complementary recess in the first movable die member 61 which cooperates with a pair of separable die members 62 and 63 which, together, provide a die cavity 64 whose defining surfaces mold the exterior of the body 12 of the socket 11. The conducting jaws 26, 27 and 28 are mounted upon the core blades 43, 44 and 45, respectively, with the legs 24 and 25 of the jaws embracing the core blades and opening forwardly toward the core face 42. The jaw 26 is located with its axially extending edge against the core part 56, and the core part 57 on the core section 47 is received within the groove 38 in the leg 24 of the jaw 26. With the die and core parts assembled, the conducting parts of the socket will be supported in the die cavity solely by the core blades, as shown in FIGURE 2. Thereafter, the die cavity is filled with a selected insulating material to form the body 12 of the socket 11. This material may be of any of the molding rubbers or plastics; for example, a thermoplastic vinyl material, such as polyvinyl chloride, or phenol formaldehyde or polystyrene, and the die cavity may be filled by any known molding process, such as by transfer molding or injection of the molding material.

After the molding operation, the die section 61 is preferably first separated from sections 62 and 63 to release the molded socket body. Thereafter the core and core blade sections are preferably separated from the molded socket body and the conducting parts therein in the following manner: separation of the socket body 12 from the core head 41 in an axial direction results in the core blade sections 46 and 51 being withdrawn from the socket body with the head 41 in a straight-line movement to uncover the counterclockwise portions of the passageways 21, 22 and 23, leaving the socket and core section 47 and 52 as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4; thereafter, preferably after cooling, the core blade sections 47 and 52 are rotated, either individually or together, in a counterclockwise direction, as shown by the arrows in FIGURE 4, to remove the offset portions 55 thereof from the undercut passages 34, 35 and 36, whereupon the offset portions 55 are aligned with the passageways 21, 22, and 23. The core sections 47 and 52 may now be withdrawn from the body 12 of the socket 11 by a straightline, axial movement. This completes the socket in the form shown in FIGURES through 7.

The resulting socket or female coupling portion may be used with male coupling portions or plugs having varied blade configurations. For example, the plug blades may be straight, with no rotary interlocking thereof with,

the socket. Alternatively, the plug blades may include laterally offset portions, such as shown at 71 on the blades 72 of the plug 70 of FIGURE 8, received within the undercut passages 34, 35 and 36, or any of them, upon relative rotary movement between the plug and socket after assembly, to thereby interlock the plug and socket against involuntary separation. In both of these forms of plug blades polarization is secured from the non-uniform locations of the passageways 21, 22 and 23. Again, a plug blade or blades may be provided with a prong (74 in FIGURE 8) receivable in the socket passage 37 as the plug and socket are assembled and rotated into the groove 38 upon relative rotary movement between the plug and socket after assembly to interlock the plug and socket. It is thus seen that the coupling socket formedby the method of this invention has considerable adaptability for cooperation with various designs of coupling plugs usable therewith.

It will be apparent that the method of this invention presents desirable features of economy, simplicity and ease of manufacture by the use of sectional core blades which form the sole support for the conducting components of the jaw during the molding operation and which provide for the molding of undercut portions within the socket while retaining easy removal of the core blade sections therefrom; and while'the method has been described in connection with the forming of a particular socket embodiment, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations in the socket and the method of forming the same will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the invention is to be given its broadest interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of forming a female socket member for an electrical coupling comprising: providing a core member having sectional blades projecting therefrom, with the blades having straight-line axially extending sections and axially extending sections cooperating therewith having peripherally ofiset portions adapted to mold undercut surfaces; supporting conducting connectors for the socket upon said core blades; assembling said core member with die sections to mount said conducting connectors within a die cavity; molding an insulating material in said diev cavity about said conducting connectors; withdrawing the straight-line axially extending sections of the core blades from the molded body of the socket by straight-line axial movement; rotating the cooperating sections of .the core blades into the passages previously occupied by the with drawn sections; and thereafter withdrawing said cooperating sections by a straight-line axial movement relative to the socket body.

2. The method of forming a female socket member for an electrical coupling comprising: providing a core member having sectional blades projecting therefrom with the blades having straight-line axially extending sections and axially extending sections cooperating therewith having peripherally offset portions adapted to mold undercut surfaces; mounting conducting connectors for the socket upon said core blades; assembling said core member with die sections to support said conducting connectors within a die cavity solely by said core blades and without other interconnection between said conducting connectors; molding an insulating material in said die cavity about said conducting connectors; withdrawing the straight-line axially extending sections of the core blades from the molded body of the socket by straight-line axial movement; rotating the cooperating sections of the core blades to withdraw their offset'portions from the undercut surfaces of the socket body and align said offset portions with the passageways molded in the socket body by the straightline axially extending. sections of the core blades; and

thereafter withdrawing said cooperating sections of the core blades by a straight-line axial movement relative to the socket body.

3. The method of forming a female socket member for an electrical coupling comprising: providing a core member having sectional bladesprojecting therefrom, with the blades having straight-line axially extending sections and axially extending sections cooperating therewith having peripherally offset portions adapted to mold undercut surfaces; mounting conducting jaws for the socket upon said core blades with the legs of the jaws embracing the blades and opening toward the main body of the core member; assembling said core member with die sections to position said jaws within a die cavity; molding an insulating material in said die cavity about said jaws; withdrawing the straight-line axially extending sections of the core blades from the jaws and the molded body of the socket by straight-line axial movement; rotating the cooperating sections of the core blades into the passageways formerly occupied by the withdrawn sections to thereby withdrawtheir offset portions from the undercut surfaces of the socket body; and thereafter withdrawing said cooperating sections of the core blades by straight-line axial movement relative to the socket body.

4. The methodof forming a female socket member for an electrical couplingcomprising: providing a core member having sectional blades projecting therefrom, with the blades having straight-line axially extending sections and axially extending sections cooperating therewith having peripherally ofiset portions adapted to mold undercut surfaces; mounting conducting connectors for the socket upon said core blades; assembling said core member with die sections to position said conducting connectors within a die cavity; molding an insulating material in said die cavity about said conducting connectors; simultaneously withdrawing the straight-line axially extending sections of the core blades from the molded body of the socket by straight-line axial movement of said core member, leaving said cooperating sections embedded in the socket body; rotating each of the cooperating sections of the core blades into the passageway formerly occupied by its cooperating core blade section to thereby withdraw the offset portions from the undercut surfaces of the socket body; and thereafter withdrawing said cooperating sections of the core blades from the socket body by a straight-line axial movement.

5. The method of forming a female socket member for an electrical coupling comprising: providing a core member having sectional blades projecting therefrom, with the blades having straight-line axially extending sections and axially extending sections cooperating therewith having peripherally offset portions adapted to mold undercut surfaces; mounting conducting connectors for the socket upon said core blades; assembling said core member with die sections to position said conducting connectors within a die cavity; molding an insulating material in said die cavity about said conducting connectors; simultaneously withdrawing the straight-line axially extending sections of the core blades from the molded body of the socket by straight-line axial movement of said core member, leaving the cooperating blade sections within the socket body; and removing said cooperating core blade sections by first rotating them into the passages formerly occupied by the removed core blade sections and thereafter withdrawing them from the socket body by a straight-line axial movement.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 1,011,006 4/1952 France.

ROBERT F. WHITE, Primary Examiner. R. B. MOFFI'IT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF FORMING A FEMALE SOCKET MEMBER FOR AN ELECTRICAL COUPLING COMPRISING: PROVIDING A CORE MEMBER HAVING SECTIONAL BLADES PROJECTING THEREFROM, WITH THE BLADES HAVING STRAIGHT-LINE AXIALLY EXTENDING SECTIONS AND AXIALLY EXTENDING SECTIONS COOPERATING THEREWITH HAVING PERIPHERALLY OFFSET PORTIONS ADAPTED TO MOLD UNDERCUT SURFACES; SUPPORTING CONDUCTING CONNECTORS FOR THE SOCKET UPON SAID CORE BLADES; ASSEMBLING SAID CORE MEMBER WITH DIE SECTIONS TOMOUNT SAID CONDUCTING CONNECTORS WITHIN A DIE CAVITY; MOLDING AN INSULATING MATERIAL IN SAID DIE CAVITY ABOUT SAID CONDUCTING CONNECTORS; WITHDRAWING THE STRAIGHT-LINE AXIALLY EXTENDING SECTIONS OF THE CORE BLADES FROM THE MOLDED BODY OF THE SOCKET BY STRAIGHT-LINE AXIAL MOVEMENT; ROTATING THE COOOPERATING SECTIONS OF THE CORE BLADES INTO THE PASSAGES PREVIOUSLY OCCUPIED BY THE WITHDRAWN SECTIONS; AND THEREAFTER WITHDRAWING SAID COOPER- 